MPs criticise handling of research funds

MPs criticise handling of research funds

Tuesday 29 April 2008 19.01 EDT
First published on Tuesday 29 April 2008 19.01 EDT

Some of Britain's most prestigious science facilities are at risk of closure due to poor management of public research funds, MPs say.

The criticism, from the Commons innovation, universities, science and skills committee, is largely directed at the leadership of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which distributes around £678m a year of public funds for physics and research facilities.

The STFC had an £80m shortfall after a poor settlement in last year's government spending review, leading to sweeping cuts to its science programme that left university physics departments in fear of closure and threatened British science facilities such as the Daresbury laboratory and Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire.

A report by the committee called for "substantial and urgent changes" in the running of the organisation and questioned the ability of the chief executive, Keith Mason, to lead the council.

The MPs were "dismayed" that the STFC had attempted to play down the effects of the cuts to physics and astronomy research grants, and urged the STFC to wait for the results of a review of physics being carried out by Bill Wakeham, vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton, before implementing any proposed cuts.

In a statement yesterday Mason said: "A number of issues highlighted by the report have already been recognised by STFC, and I have taken decisive actions to address them over the past few months."